Page 36 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

“I mean, all summer has been fun,” Samantha said. “But cheerleading is the most fun.”

“Speaking of fun,” Hazel said with a sly smile, “are you going out to play tennis? With Terrence?”

“Yes.” Vivian cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“You look really good, Mom.” Hazel’s grin became even more gleeful. “Your outfit is really cute, and I love the way you did your hair.”

“Oh, thank you.” Vivian was just about to ask Hazel why they had stopped by her house, as a way of taking attention off herself, but Hazel was too quick for her.

“Is that a new perfume?” Hazel asked curiously, taking an eager sniff near Vivian’s shoulder. “It smells fantastic.”

“It is a new one.” Vivian cleared her throat. “I just happened to be at the store earlier today, and I realized that it’s been a while since I bought myself some new perfume. I thought this was a nice, summery scent.”

“Mmhmm.” Hazel nodded. “I can smell citrus and florals—and maybe a little sandalwood.”

“Something like that.” Vivian smiled. “I can let you borrow it if you want.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” Hazel grinned. “I’m just loving the way you’ve given yourself a makeover, Mom.”

Vivian flushed bashfully. “Well, there’s no reason not to look one’s best.”

“Well, sure, but you never put in this much effort when I was your tennis partner.” Hazel cocked an eyebrow.

“You must be trying to impress Terrence!” Samantha exclaimed eagerly. “You are, aren’t you, Grandma?”

Vivian lifted her chin. “And what if I am?”

Hazel gave her mother a hug. “I would say that is absolutely great.”

Vivian didn’t know what to say. All at once she felt as tongue-tied as a schoolgirl. “What on earth are the two of you doing here?” she said finally, feeling flustered.

“I made some of your favorite coconut croissants.” Hazel held up the tote bag that she was carrying. “We wanted to drop some off on our way to Samantha’s practice.”

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart. I do love those.”

“I’ll just drop this bag off in the kitchen and then Sam and I will be on our way. Have fun on your—I mean, have fun playing tennis.”

Hazel laughed and scampered away with Samantha, who was also giggling impishly. Vivian knew that Hazel had almost said “have fun on your date.”

She shook her head, chuckling, and then turned back toward the mirror. She took another long look at her reflection, seeing herself through Hazel and Samantha’s eyes. She realized that she did look particularly becoming, and the thought lifted her heart.

Am I getting too hopeful about all this?she wondered.Should I not be letting myself get this excited about whatever is happening between me and Terrence?

She glanced at her watch and lifted her eyebrows. Too hopeful or not, it was time for her to leave for the tennis courts.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Terrence pulled his car into one of the parking spots outside the tennis courts. Although it was still fairly early in the morning, he could tell that it was going to be a warm day. The sun was shining brightly, and he could feel the heat begin to seep into his car the moment he turned off the air conditioning.

He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. All he could see was his face, which didn’t help him at the moment. He was feeling terribly out of place in the workout clothes he’d purchased and put on that morning. He hadn’t worn workout clothes since his gym classes in high school, and he felt immensely strange in a t-shirt.

I feel like I’m going outside in my underwear,he thought, shaking his head with a chuckle. It doesn’t feel right to be wearing a shirt that I didn’t have to button up.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, feeling a thrilling mixture of nervous and excited. He was looking forward to playing tennis with Vivian, but he was also worried about making a fool of himself.

He grimaced cheerfully as he remembered the way he’d spent his morning practicing his tennis swings all alone in his living room. He was sure that he’d looked like a complete fool doingit, but he hoped that it would help him look like less of a fool on the tennis court. He just wanted to look accomplished in Vivian’s eyes—although he had a feeling that it would be a long time before he could look accomplished in anyone’s eyes when it came to tennis.

He looked at his watch and realized that he only had a few minutes before he and Vivian were scheduled to meet on the tennis court. He didn’t want to be late—he was never late for anything—but neither did he want to leave his car. He felt self-conscious and nervous about spending time with the woman who he’d been harboring a secret admiration for ever since they’d become friends.

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